Project manager & renovation in Ruffieux.

Ruffieux is a rural village in Chautagne, the broad plain stretching north of Lac du Bourget, between the Rhône, the Savières canal and the wooded slopes of the Gros Foug. A land of AOC vineyards and marshland, it has kept housing full of character: stone country houses, old Chautagne farmhouses, farm complexes with barns and bread ovens, alongside scattered detached houses that have spread along the hamlets. This unspoilt setting, a few minutes from Aix-les-Bains and Chanaz, attracts families looking for space and authenticity.

This identity makes Ruffieux a renovation market in its own right. Many owners want to restore an ageing country house, convert a barn into a home, enlarge a house that has become too small or improve the energy performance of an old building that is hard to heat. Every project calls for method: a precise measured survey, assessment of the stone building, plans, filing of applications with the town hall, coordination of the trades and rigorous site supervision — especially in rural areas where reliable firms are booked up long in advance.

This is precisely the role of the project manager: to see your project through from start to finish, protect your budget and schedule, and spare you from juggling a dozen firms. From our office in Aix-les-Bains, just 20 to 25 minutes away, we know Chautagne well and work regularly in Ruffieux and its neighbouring municipalities (Chindrieux, Chanaz, Serrières-en-Chautagne, Vions).

Traditional country house renovation is the most requested service in Ruffieux. These stone buildings, often from the 19th and 20th centuries, deserve a complete upgrade: reconfiguring the spaces to open up living areas, creating openings to capture light and views of the Gros Foug, upgrading insulation and heating, managing damp in old walls, modernising bathrooms and finishes. We design these projects to measure, respecting the Chautagne character of the building, and manage all the trades through to handover.

Farmhouse and barn conversion appeals to more and more families looking for space. Turning a barn into a living area, converting the loft of an old farm building, creating a suite or a workshop: these projects require a proper structural survey — load-bearing walls, roof structure, floors — and careful design to combine contemporary comfort with the original building. We carry out the survey, design the project and file a building permit that complies with the municipality's rural rules.

Finally, extensions, adding a storey and new builds complete our scope in Ruffieux. Increasing living space in keeping with the existing building, adding a level or building a new house on a plot in a hamlet requires a thorough command of the municipal local plan (PLU) and of landscape integration at the foot of the massif. As an RGE-certified company, we also handle energy renovation — insulation, windows and doors, heating — eligible for public grants, for a healthy, high-performing home of lasting value.

Atelier NovAlp's strength is bringing three disciplines together under one roof: architect, project manager and RGE-certified general contractor. In practice, you no longer have to coordinate an architect, an engineering firm, a project manager and a dozen tradespeople yourself: a single point of contact carries your project from the first sketch to handing over the keys. This turnkey approach removes the grey areas between the parties involved — where most delays, cost overruns and defects arise — a real advantage in rural areas where it is hard to bring together the right trades.

Depending on the nature of the project, we adapt the arrangement: an architect's commission for a new build or a large extension, project management for a renovation with separate trade contracts, or general contracting with a performance commitment for a project with a controlled budget. As planning applications in Ruffieux are processed at the town hall under the municipal planning document (PLU or carte communale), we always check the zoning regulations — heights, footprint, colours and materials, preservation of farmland and vineyards, marshland edges — before drawing, so the application is compliant from the first submission.

Our RGE CertiRénov no. CR-2026-73-0095 certification (comprehensive renovation offer, issued by Qualitel Certification) also gives you access to grant schemes: MaPrimeRénov', Energy Savings Certificates (CEE) and local grants. We calculate your real out-of-pocket cost and build these subsidies into your renovation's financing plan. Discover all our services or our page dedicated to Aix-les-Bains.